Help Senegal / Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have just arrived in Senegal, you will have to file a new application for refugee status with the National Commission of Eligibility (CNE). The possession of a refugee card issued by another country does not automatically entitle Senegal to asylum.

All asylum-seekers and refugees wishing to receive support or assistance are requested to contact UNHCR’s partner in Senegal, Green Village Foundation (GVF) at:

Social Orientation Office (BOS)

Address: Villa 7B BP 16917 Dakar, Point E (in front of the Olympic swimming pool)

Hours: Monday to Thursday from 8h to 17h; Fridays from 8h to 14h.

Tel : +221 33 825 63 66

For more information, visit this Help site’s Assistance section

There is no temporary housing system in Senegal to accommodate new arrivals or recognized refugees. Anyone seeking asylum in Senegal is responsible for finding accommodation.

However, a request for housing assistance may be submitted to UNHCR’s partner, GVF. For more information, please visit this Help site’s Assistance section.

We advise you to make an appointment with the GVF partner for a protection hearing. For more information, please visit this Help site’s Contact Us section.

Resettlement as a durable solution is a limited option available only to refugees who meet certain very specific criteria.

  • “Resettlement in a third country” means that a refugee leaves his country of asylum and settles legally in another country.
  • A refugee is not entitled to resettlement, but it is offered on a voluntary basis by the resettlement countries.
  • Reinstallation is not automatic. Recognition of refugee status does not necessarily mean that a refugee has an acceptable case for resettlement in a third country.
  • There are specific criteria defined by resettlement countries and UNHCR for a refugee to be considered for resettlement.
  • The country willing to accept the refugee concerned for resettlement is not necessarily the country of choice for the refugee.
  • Resettlement places are extremely limited and the number of refugees to be resettled in a given year is determined by the resettlement countries themselves and not by UNHCR.

I advise you to make an appointment with the GVF partner for a protection hearing. For more information, contact us.

Unfortunately, due to limited resources and the nature of our role in Senegal, UNHCR can only provide limited support in such cases. I advise you to make an appointment with the GVF partner for a protection hearing.

For more information, please visit the How to contact us section on this website.

The services of UNHCR and its partners are free and will remain free of charge. Please notify us of any request for payment in kind or in cash from a UNHCR officer or one of its partners.

For more information, please visit this website’s How to contact us section.

In principle, the processing of an asylum application in Senegal lasts between 6 months and one year.